Ekaterina V. Aleksandrova

The modern development of society, driven by automation, digitalization, scientific and technological progress on the one hand, as well as high dynamism and unpredictability, on the other, challenges the competences and skills necessary to survive in this terrible, unimaginable world of SHIVA. Vulnerabilities are also added by the realities of the functioning of production and business processes focused on the digital and innovative economy, automation and mass uniqueness, the economy of partnership and openness. The relevance of this study is due to the fact that despite the widespread discussion of the formation of 21st century skills among graduate students, the level and format of their development require further analysis and revision. Consequently, the purpose of this research is to find an answer to the question "what and how to teach?" so that the "portfolio" of competences and skills of the 21st century among graduates of the master's degree programs in the field of engineering would allow them to "keep up with the times." The theoretical analysis of domestic and foreign literature on this issue focuses on the relevance of design thinking as a non-standard, heuristic way to solve problems in conditions of uncertainty, as an approach to generating innovative solutions focused on humans, as an opportunity to analyze the situation from several points of view. Thus, the result of this work is the substantiation and application of the methodology of design thinking in the process of mastering the discipline "Foreign language in the professional field." The theoretical significance of the research lies in substantiating the effectiveness of using this technique to master the subject presented above, as it has a more practice-oriented character, improves the skills of conversational speech and monologue in academic and professional contexts, grammatical and listening skills, and develops skills in working with authentic texts. In addition, the methodology of design thinking promotes the development of convergent and divergent thinking, as students learn to analyze, offer creative solutions for prototyping a unique product, taking into account the values and requests of the audience, to be flexible and adaptable. The practical significance of the experience lies in the fact that future engineering specialists can use their projects as part of their qualification work, as well as apply the experience gained to work on other projects.